Waterway cleanup to start

As cleanup continues of storm debris on land, the state is
turning it's attention to the waterways, where sunken vessels and shifting
bottom configuration may pose unseen hazards to boaters.. Efforts are expected
to be under way in about a week to remove obvious wreckage — cars and building
wreckage.

"The boating industry is important to New Jersey," and the state is
committed to see recreational boating rebound after the storm, said Larry
Ragonese, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection. I spoke to him Jan. 9.

The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for navigable channels, while
the state will be looking after the many bays, marshes and tidal rivers,
Ragonese said. The DEP will be working with the Corps and other state agencies
to coordinate the cleanup.

The state will
be working with contractors to survey the problem, and then do the actual
cleanup work. Many boats simply floated away and disappeared, presumably sunk,
where they can pose an unseen hazard.